A Half Serious Rant About Europe

by metatron 12 Replies latest jw friends

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  metatron

  Like many Americans, my image of Europe often drifts into an O'Reilly-esk reverie of cradle to grave

  social welfare recipients who will strike at a moments notice, let criminals run free and allow

  their inner cities to be dominated by unassimilated Jihadis ( who have free healthcare but no

  firearms).

  But recently, I thought about the question: Is America providing TOO MANY JOBS?

  You see, I am often troubled by the fact that it often takes two or three attempts to get anything

  useful done, if it can be done at all - in the business world. You know what I mean - the IT company

  that can't send a fax competently, the mechanic who can't fix your car, the parts company

  that ships you the wrong item twice and so on. I have a theory about this:

  If unemployment gets too low, you are then giving jobs to the last, the least, the worst and

  dumbest - the unexposed alcoholics, the chronic potheads, the lazy, the inept, the people

  who don't want to work at all!

  The rest of us suffer from their errors - or the lowering of standards that don't permit anything

  to be done right the first time but always allow for it to be done over again!

  High unemployment? Maybe Europe is right because they keep these people away from the

  workplace , where the rest of us can get something accomplished!

  OK, that's my rant for today. All Hail the EU! Hooray for national healthcare!

  metatron ( Arggh!)
• 

  stillajwexelder

  If unemployment gets too low, you are then giving jobs to - illegal mexicans
• 

  changeling

  I'm a bleeding heart liberal so I won't "go there" with you.

  changeling
• 

  Dorktacular

  Actually, I like a good job market. Example: When I was employed with my last employer, the job market was tight for a number of years. So, my boss decided that it would be ok to treat us all like crap, because he knew we couldn't find a new job. I told him that all he was doing was pissing everybody off, and if and when the opportunity arose and the job market changed, the very first people to leave for better jobs would be his most talented and valued employees. Do you know what his response was to us? "The wise man always has his resume out there!" Okey Dokey. Didn't have to tell me twice. I was the first one to quit about 2 months later. Within 45 minutes, the two other talented people quit in response to the news that I quit. Now, my old boss is left with nobody but the dummies who couldn't find a new job. He can't hire a good employee to save his life because those of us in my particular field that are in-the-know all communicate and we all know not to apply for a job at XYZ company, because you'll get screwed. But, hey! He can hire those illegal Mexicans stillajwexelder referred to in his post.

  I think that the companies who get stuck with the "defective" employees are getting what they deserve, because they're usually the companies that screw employees. You get what you pay for, my friends.
• 

  funkyderek

  metatron:

  Like many Americans, my image of Europe often drifts into an O'Reilly-esk reverie of cradle to grave social welfare recipients who will strike at a moments notice, let criminals run free and allow their inner cities to be dominated by unassimilated Jihadis ( who have free healthcare but no firearms).

  No, that's just France.

  But recently, I thought about the question: Is America providing TOO MANY JOBS?You see, I am often troubled by the fact that it often takes two or three attempts to get anything useful done, if it can be done at all - in the business world. You know what I mean - the IT company that can't send a fax competently, the mechanic who can't fix your car, the parts company that ships you the wrong item twice and so on. I have a theory about this: If unemployment gets too low, you are then giving jobs to the last, the least, the worst and dumbest - the unexposed alcoholics, the chronic potheads, the lazy, the inept, the people who don't want to work at all! The rest of us suffer from their errors - or the lowering of standards that don't permit anything to be done right the first time but always allow for it to be done over again!

  No, it's actually the opposite problem. There aren't enough jobs, or at least there aren't enough providers of services to meet demand. If there were, people wouldn't have to settle for incompetent providers. Those who do a good job would win out over those who don't. Of course, there are other contributing factors like people's unwillingness to pay more than the minimum amount. Quality is usually available at some price.

  Don't imagine things are better in Europe!

  High unemployment? Maybe Europe is right because they keep these people away from the workplace , where the rest of us can get something accomplished!

  Again, that's mostly France. The high unemployment is a result of government attempts to get the sort of undesirable people you describe into the workforce. They mandate high minimum wages and make it nearly impossible to fire someone. Of course, as with most well-intentioned socialist policies, this has the exact opposite effect to that intended. It's very difficult for anyone to get hired at all because employers can't afford to take the risk of having to overpay someone grossly incompetent for years to come, and so, where possible, do without.
• 

  SixofNine

  According to a 2003 survey of 25 industrialized countries conducted by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), the French do work less than most others. They clocked an average 1,431 hours per year. Even allowing six weeks vacation, this works out to just 31 hours per week, less than even "les heures" would dictate. But Norwegian and Dutch employees worked even less. German workers, who traditionally have been viewed as paragons of industrial effort, put in 1,446 hours, barely more than the French. British (1,673 hours), Americans (1,792 hours) and Koreans (2,390 hours) worked substantially more.
  
  Ranked by "competitiveness," France fares poorly, as ranked by a World Economic Forum survey. France places 27th, behind Chile, Spain, Belgium, Portugal and Luxembourg. But the even lazier Norwegians and Dutch rank 6th and 12th respectively. Korea places two rungs below France.
  
  Still, French workers remain among the most productive in the world, ahead of Britain, Germany, the United States and Japan, according to the European statistics agency Eurostat, the AP reports.
  
  In terms of gross national income per capita (GNI) as measured by the World Bank, France ranks 23rd with a GNI of $24,770. The U.S. is well-ahead in 5th place at $37,610. But again, Norway, which works less, makes more, more even than the U.S. Germany is about $500 ahead of France.
  
  Another interesting fact is that between 1995 and 2003, France actually increased its work hours, albeit slightly, despite the 35-hour law, according to the OECD. In the last two years of that span, however, its work hours declined. In recent years, France's GDP growth rate has slowed. The same is true of Germany. But growth in Korea and the U.S., which each work more hours, has increased.
  
  As a nation, France boasts 33 entries in the Forbes 2000 list of the world's largest companies, including Total (nyse: TOT - news - people ), BNP (otc: BNPQY - news - people ), AXA Group (nyse: AXA - news - people ), Societe Generale Group (otc: SCGLY - news - people ), and Renault in the top 100.
  
  
• 

  metatron

  You're getting to the point I'm unable to explain : how can the French be so darned idle and yet

  productive? Is it because they avoid employing bozos and screw-ups who make everything

  difficult for the rest of us? Or does all that nicotine they inhale help somehow? Do they avoid wasting

  time by not shaving their legs? Or by only putting three lugnuts on a Renault wheel?

  metatron
• 

  Shawn10538

  Why not try having a broad WORLD VIEW instead of a narrow AMERICAN VIEW?
• 

  Sad emo

  You're getting to the point I'm unable to explain : how can the French be so darned idle and yet productive?

  It could be down to the fact that they still have something to produce - compare this with the UK whose traditional manufacturing base has been all but wiped out by cheap imports. We are more in service industry now (call centres etc) - which doesn't 'produce' much. Could be similar with other countries too maybe?
• 

  Dorktacular

  It could be down to the fact that they still have something to produce - compare this with the UK whose traditional manufacturing base has been all but wiped out by cheap imports. We are more in service industry now (call centres etc) - which doesn't 'produce' much. Could be similar with other countries too maybe?

  EXACTLY!!! Hellllllooooo!!!! America????? WE don't make ANYTHING anymore. You can't even buy an American made car anymore. It's all either made from foriegn parts or foriegn labor. Everybody has an office job. Nothing gets produced in office buildings. Factories produce. It's part of the reason America has such a large trade deficit. We have nothing to trade! Seriously. We buy everything from China! Try to go to a local store and buy something American made. It used to be common. Now, if you find an American made product, it's a novelty!

  As an American, I can tell you that we work harder than just about anybody else in the world. 40 hour work week? That's just a good start in America. Most successful people are working at least 60 hours a week. I know of a few guys working 3 jobs. 3 THREE!!! It ain't easy. Also, I don't know anybody who has 6 weeks vacation. After many years of work, I have managed to get 3 weeks vacation, but I rarely take more than 2 days of vacation back to back because work is too demanding. I usually use vacation time to do more work. Home improvement projects, auto repair, etc., etc. I have a brother who works at least 12 hours a day 7 days a week.

  A lot of people are jealous of America's prosperity, but I assure you, most of us work very hard for it. If America doesn't start tightening the amount of money we let flow out of America to buy cheap crap from China, pretty soon we'll have no money to buy stuff from China or anywhere else. We'll all have to move to China.